L A K E H E A D    U N I V E R S I T Y
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
Introduction to Sociology
Sociology 1100 YD

Brian McMillan/Sharon Dale Stone                                           Fall/Winter 2005 
UC0038                                                                   Tues. & Thurs. 11:30-1:00pm
rbmbs@tbaytel.net                                                                                   RB3046
Office Hours: Thursday 1:00-2:00pm                                                                                 

                                                                                                                        Course Description

Introductory Sociology offers the student a cross-sectional view of the study of sociology. Sociology is the systematic study of contemporary society. It seeks to describe and explain patterns of human behaviour, the structure of social organization, the dynamics of social change, and the nature of people’s perceptions of their social environment. The fundamental premise upon which the study of sociology proceeds is that human behaviour is related to the character of the social context within which the behaviour unfolds. An awareness of this relationship between human behaviour and broad historical, cultural and social contextual factors is often referred to as “the sociological imagination”.

The course of study includes instruction in the application of sociology’s unique perspective, its major theoretical paradigms and its basic research methodologies. The course undertakes an examination of important social processes including socialization, social interaction, social stratification, urbanization, globalization, population development, social change and others. The student is introduced to the social structural character of Canadian society with references to culture and the ideological structure, inequality and the social class structure, as well as an examination of various issues relating to the family, economics, religion, politics, medicine, education, criminal justice, race & ethnicity, gender, disability and others. 

Textbooks

Required:  Henslin, J. M., et al. SOCIOLOGY: A DOWN-TO-EARTH APPROACH, 3rd Edition. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2004.

Optional:  Dan Glenday, et al. STUDY GUIDE. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Ed, 2005.

Grading Scheme

Fall Midterm…………………..…… 17%
Christmas Examination……..……. 23%
Winter Midterm…………..……...... 20%
Assignment………………..…....… 20%
Final Examination…………...……. 20%

Examinations

There are four formal examinations scheduled throughout the course of study. The examinations may be comprised of multiple choice, short answer and short essay questions. Examinations are based on classroom lectures, activities and the required textbook readings. The Fall and Winter midterms are scheduled for regular class times and locations (see Course Schedule below). The locations and dates of the Christmas and Final examinations will be announced at a future time. Please refer to the Grading Scheme for the weight of each examination.

Assignment

There is one formal assignment to be prepared and submitted in the second half of the course of study. Specific requirements will be announced at a later date. Please see the Course Schedule below for assignment deadline.

Fall Term Course Schedule   Sept. 8 - Nov. 29  (Brian McMillan)

Study Period One: The Sociological Perspective
     
     Thursday Sept. 8
          No required reading
          Lecture: “The Sociological Imagination”
          In-class exercise: “Private Troubles vs. Public Issues”
         
     Tuesday Sept. 13 
          Required reading: Henslin pp.3-7 
          Lecture: “Social Location: Is It Hazardous to Your Health?”

     Thursday Sept. 15
          Required reading: Henslin pp.7-16 
          Lecture: “Why Sociology?”
          In-class exercise: “Are You a Marxist, Durkheimian or Weberian?” 

     Tuesday Sept. 20
          Required reading: Henslin pp.16-22 
          Lecture: “Sociological Theory: It’s Simply a Matter of How You Look At It”
          In-class exercise: “Social Problems in Theoretical Perspective ”

Study Period Two: Culture
     
     Thursday Sept. 22
          Required reading: Henslin pp.47-55  
          Lecture: “Seeing the Strange in the Familiar”
          Video: “Java Jive”

     Tuesday Sept. 27
          Required reading: Henslin pp.55-63  
          Lecture: “Individualism Made Visible Through Popular Culture”
          In-class exercise: “The Woeful Tale of Fred the Spelunker”

     Thursday Sept. 29
          Required reading: Henslin pp.63-67  
          Lecture: “Technology: The Frankenstein-Jurassic Park Dilemma”

Study Period Three: Socialization
     
     Tuesday Oct. 4
          Required reading: Henslin pp.71-78  
          Lecture: “Mead, Cooley and the ‘Plastic’ Self”
          In-class exercise: “20 Statements Test”
     
     Thursday Oct. 6
          Required reading: Henslin pp.78-86  
          Lecture: “Pink or Blue? The Colour of Social Experience”
          In-class exercise: “Gender Images in Magazines: Evidence of Postmodernism?”

     Tuesday Oct. 11
          Required reading: Henslin pp.86-92  
          Lecture: “Social Learning Theory Throughout the Life Course”
          Video: “Anybody’s Son Will Do”

     Thursday Oct. 13
          Midterm Examination: regular class time & location
          Please Note: failure to write a regularly scheduled examination will invoke the
           application of Lakehead University’s formal regulations. Refer to Calendar for specifics.

Study Period Four: Social Structure and Social Interaction
     
     Tuesday Oct. 18
          Required reading: Henslin pp.95-105  
          Lecture: “Social Structure as Constraint... or Freedom?”
          In-class exercise: “Plotting Your Location in the Social Structure” 

     Thursday Oct. 20
          Required reading: Henslin pp.112-22  
          Lecture: “What’s Going on Here? The Social Construction of Reality”
          Video: “Truth Merchants”

Study Period Five: Family: Initiation into Society

     Tuesday Oct. 25
          Required reading: Henslin pp.303-12  
          Lecture: “Family in Theoretical Perspective”

     Thursday Oct. 27
          Required reading: Henslin pp.313-16  
          Lecture: “Mate Selection: What’s Love Got To Do With It”
          In-class exercise: “Is There a Mr. or Mrs. Right?”

     Tuesday Nov. 1
          Required reading: Henslin pp.316-27  
          Lecture: “Is the Family an Endangered Species?”
          Video: “Women and Men Unglued”

Study Period Six: Social Deviance and Social Control

     Thursday Nov. 3
          Required reading: Henslin pp.381-88  
          Lecture: “Deviants: Born or Bred?”
          In-class exercise: “Is Deviance Normal?”

     Tuesday Nov. 8
          Required reading: Henslin pp.388-93  
          Lecture: “Deviant Definitions and the Role of Social Power: The Case of Illicit 
          Drugs”
          Video: “Stopping Traffik”

     Thursday Nov. 10
          Required reading: Henslin pp.393-98  
          Lecture: “Crime in Canada”

Study Period Seven: Social Inequality: Global and National Perspectives

     Tuesday Nov. 15
          Required reading: Henslin pp.127-39  
          Lecture: “The Allocation of Things of Consequence”
          In-class exercise: “The Irrigation Project”

     Thursday Nov. 17
          Required reading: Henslin pp.139-50  
          Lecture: “The Development of Underdevelopment”
          Video: “The Cola Conquest”

     Tuesday Nov. 22
          Required reading: Henslin pp.150-63  
          Lecture: “Poverty: Do We Blame The Poor?”

Study Period Eight: Education

     Thursday Nov. 24
          Required reading: Henslin pp. 331-39  
          Lecture: “Credentialism and the Problem of Selection”

     Tuesday Nov. 29
          Required reading: Henslin pp. 339-47
          Lecture: “Education as Social Control”
 
Christmas Examination: date, time & location T.B.A

Winter Term Course Schedule   Jan. 3 - April 3  (Sharon Dale-Stone)

Jan. 3…………...... Chapter 2: Methods
Jan. 10……….…... Chapter 7: Gender
Jan. 17………….... Chapter 7: Gender
Jan. 24……….…... Chapter 9: Aging
Jan. 31…………… Chapter 15: Health & Illness
Feb. 7..…………... Chapter 15: Health & Illness
Feb. 14…………... Disability
Feb. 16………...… Midterm Examination
Feb. 28…………... Chapter 10: Bureaucracy
Mar. 7……….…...  Chapter 11: Economy & Work
Mar. 7……………. Term Assignment Due
Mar. 14…………... Chapter 14: Religion
Mar. 21…………... Chapter 18: Social Movements & Social Change
Mar. 28…………... Chapter 18: Social Movements & Social Change